MOTORISTS PROTEST.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19375, 10 January 1925, Page 11

MOTORISTS PROTEST.

OBJECTIONS TO NTTO EEGITLA TIDES. DEPUTATION TO WAIT UP ON MINISTER. Members of the Connell of the Canterbury Automobile Association raised their voices In strong protest at a meeting on Thursday night (says the Press) against come of tho provisions contained In tho regulations of tho Motor Vehicles Act, Mr Anderson said ho had noticed c statement that tho plates were to bo changed each year. He wondered if motorists had to bear tho cost of tho new plates or was It to be borso out of the license revenue? Either way was os had, because the license revenue was originally to be raised for roads. There were 80,000 cars at least in New Zealand, and If tho plates cost 10s a set that would mean that £25,000 would be lost to the toads. He did not see why discs bearing tho fierm license could not bo Installed on cars. The cost would be a non-recurring one. As to tho purchase of plates from outside of New Zealand, he bod noticed that tho Government had found that it could not get the plates made in the time required in this country. A maker of plates in Christchurch bad told him that he had not been asked to quote for plates, and the speaker thought that the makers In each centre should have been shied an opportunity to lender. Mr W. R. Carey said that they should 1 have a right to say what type of plates should be used. Tho President (Mr W. H. Nicholson) said that nothing had been said previously by the Government about placing the letters “N.Z.” on the plates. They might as well have put the prefix “M.C.” for motor car. The prefix letter should have applied to each district. This would have made it unnecessary to have such large letters. A police officer had told him that day that he would much rather have seen a district Identification mark adopted instead of a national mark. In his opinion the adoption of the “N.Z.” mark was the result of too-hasty action by the department Mr Carey said that they should recommend the South Island Motor Union to ask the Government to delay the enforcement of the regulations with a view to allowing owners to provide their own district marks. Regarding tho proposal to change the colour of the plates each year, Mr Nicholson said that it. would bo just as reasonable to ask a man to wear a bine suit this year to show that he had paid his income tux nr telephone account, and e, brown suit next year to show that he had paid again. A better system of showing that the license was up-to-dato would be to affix a disc to the dashboard, as was done in England. Mr Anderson said that the point that was worrying him was tho deflection of revenue from roads to plates, or tlie imposition of additional charges upon the motorist. Mr Nicholson said that ho and tho secretory had waited upon tho Undor-secretary of Internal Aaffirs that day and had been told that the points raisog. would be referred to tho Minister. The Minister of Internal Affairs had stated in a letter to tho association that ho had handed over tho whole of the administration of tho Act to the Post and Telegraph Department, but that did not matter to tho association, for the Minister of Internal Affairs was still tho official head of that legislation. Tlio Minister, tho Hon. R. F. Bollard, was in town, and tho speaker urged that they should wait upon him ns a deputation. After a lengthy discussion a resolution to wait upon the Minister was adopted. It was further agreed that, in the event of tlio Minister disclaiming responsibility for the administration of the Act on the grounds that it was under tho charge of tho Poet and Telegraph Department, a deputation bo sent to Wellington to wait upon tho ■ Postmaster-general. NEW NUMBER PLATES. DEPUTATION TO MINISTER. (Peb United Pkess Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 9. A deputation representing various interests waited on tho Hon. R. F. Bollard (Minister of Internal Affairs), and brought under his notice several suggested improvements to tho regulations under the Motor Vehicles Act. Mr J. B. Hawkes (president of the South Island Motor Union) said that motorists did not like tho proposal to have on tlio now number plates required by tlio Act tho letters N.Z. Instead those plates should have tho initial letter of the police district in which car was registered, N.Z. would bo of no asisstance to tho police, and the local superintendent preferred' some letter indicating tho district in which tlio car was registered. Tho proposal to change tho number plates annually would entail considerable hardship, and it was suggested that a license card of a different colour for each year should bo placed in some prominent position on tho car. It was regretted that the contract for the number plates had not been placed in the dominion, as New Zealand manufacturers could turn out an article equal to that it was proposed to import. In his reply, Mr Bollard said that at first he hod intended that the Police Department should bo responsible for the administration -of the Act, but tho Minister of that department and tho Commissioner of Police stated that tho department would require £26,000 for administration charges, etc. This, said Mr Bollard, would have taken away a fourth of tho revenue which he hoped would be derived from motorists for tho upkeep of the roads, and whoa tho Postal Department had offered to do iho work at the rato of Is a registration tho offer had been accepted. This charge had later been increased to Is 6d a registration. As a Now Zealander he would have liked to have seen the number plates manufactured in Now Zealand, but it was ascertained that six plates could be bought in America for the price of one of tho lowest cost plates in New Zealand. The Government had also been assured that the plates could not have been manufactured in Now Zealand by the time they wore required. However, after tho rush was over they could consider whether in future tho plates could be manufactured in the dominion. Mr Bollard said he recognised tho Act would require some amendment, and this cOuld be done next session. He would confer with tho lion. J. G. Ooates when he returned to Wellington If he had been as wise before tho Bill was . passed ag ha was now he would not have included some of tho provisions it contained.